My 2025 plans
The sequel to my 2024 Wrapped post.
I’m so glad that my 2024 Wrapped post received positive feedback. I’ve had a fair few DM’s mentioning that it was inspiring. I didn’t set out to inspire, instead merely hoping to set the backdrop for my 2025 plans.
It became clear as I typed that the 2024 context and recap was more than enough for one post, and that I should separate the plans ahead from the recap.
So here goes!
The phrase for 2025 is Level Up, in more ways than one.
In short, for those who didn’t read the first post, 2024 was Rebuild, and I gave it an 8 out of 10. I shared the headlines of how I set my targets for a year, and in this post I hope to elaborate on both the targets and the process.
If you’ve already set New Years resolutions, it’s likely that you may already have wavered. I’ve deliberately timed the sharing of this post for mid January for that point. Also, I’ve delayed completion of the post until the last minute, so I can be brutally honest and accountable to you for what I have and haven’t done if anything has changed. We are all fallible, myself included.
The first part - this introduction, an expansion of the process, and the headlines - is being typed now, on the afternoon of 31 December.
If you’re reading this (and Carl, that means you too in a couple of weeks when updating the post!), it’s OK if you’ve not changed the world in two weeks. It’s OK if targets change, priorities change, or planned actions change. It’s never too late to check in and remind yourself, and it’s never too late to re set targets.
I’m excluding some items due to either commercial confidentiality, or simply as I don’t want to overshare any more than I already do! But, I hope the framework will encourage you to see that this is a process well worth doing.
As a reminder, this was the framework I originally shared:
Here’s the process I use, that avoids the usual traps.
Reflect properly on 2024. What went well, what went badly, what are you happy to accept as part of the process, and what are you not happy to accept going forwards?
Reflect on the overarching theme for the last year, and set a theme for the year ahead. Just one word or phrase that can summarise the overall direction. For me, 2024 was rebuild, 2025 is level up.
Set headline behaviours for yourself that will determine the fundamental shifts that you will work towards.
Set targets that you would like to achieve. I don’t feel that SMART goals are right at this stage (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound). Just a headline target is sufficient for this. The SMART is part of the planning for each target.
Create some initial actions that can help you move towards them.
Create a mechanism that carries these targets and behaviours throughout the year. I’ll cover this in a future post alongside my plans for 2025.
I gave a very real and raw reflection in my 2024 Wrapped post, and the overarching themes simply fell out from that reflection. I wish that there was an easy way to find the theme. For me, the words were easy to find, but I get that it may not be for others - I have no idea to be honest as I’m not in your mind!
But for step 2, all I’d suggest is that you try to think of the best phrase or word that you can. It doesn’t need to be overthought, and there are no wrong answers to this.
Here’s where it gets a bit more tricky!
Set headline behaviours and targets (steps 3 and 4)
I’m a strong believer that if you fix or refine behaviours, you will in turn operate better in whatever you put your focus on.
There is no point filling a bucket with water if it has holes that need patching up.
That’s why this comes first, before an aspirational target of “make £XXX”, “do XXX’, “learn XXX” and so on.
And, through an honest reflection as set out in step 1, and underpinned by an overarching theme as in step 2, these opportunities for improvement become patently clear.
I have six areas that I focus on: Health, Relationships (friends, family and romantic), Fun, Mindset, Wealth and Business.
Here are some examples of the behaviours I’ve set in each:
Health: no unhealthy takeaways more than once a week, and set my alarm at 7am each morning without fail to force my sleep routine to become regularised.
Relationships: reciprocate effort and the lack of the same, always be there for family, and remember that you don’t need to impress anyone but yourself.
Fun: don’t let everything creep into holidays, and be prepared to expand your mind and skills.
Mindset: be open to studying new material, and value the benefits of a self care routine.
Wealth: commit to learning from others who have ‘made it’, and don’t make financially reckless decisions.
Business: make fast and firm decisions, get out there, and don’t accept second best.
You’ll see that these are a far cry from what ‘experts’ say you should do when it comes to goal settings. But, these aren’t goals. These are behaviours and mindset that will support the eventual goals. I’ve not shared all, but there’s a couple more in most of the categories to help shape who I am by the end of the year, and hopefully going forwards.
From there, I set some more specific targets. I’ve set a target for my Chess ranking, specific actions that I wish to take each day, how I’d like to finish the year from a health perspective, and so on. I have a count of the number of days I’d like to take as holiday, the number of speaking slots I will be doing, all sorts. The usual stuff that we do on 31 December!
It’s very ambitious, but in this year of levelling up, I’ll be happy to just achieve consistency and progress in myself - the ‘targets’ themselves help set that direction.
Create some initial momentum (step 5)
Step 5 is all about getting things moving. It’s the stuff that I’ll start work on tonight, rather than partying. It’s the five or six things that come to mind as non-negotiable actions which help create the momentum needed and clear any hurdles that may be in the way of my targets.
So yes, I’ll be emailing my doctor , asking the gym if I can change my membership so that I can train in the evenings as my days are just too rammed, and so on. And… bloody hell, setting my alarm at 7am both on my phone and a physical alarm clock. That’s the one I’m dreading, but there’s no time like the present, even if it does mean an early night on New Years Eve, right?
I’ll also make a start on a new Vision Board. Many people who’ve done this stuff before rarely have to rip it up and start again, but I do, and I’m here for it. I don’t want this to be completed tonight, but I want to get it kicked off to replant the seeds of thinking beyond the short term.
If I can’t be bothered to do the simple stuff, then how on earth can I do the actual hard work of hitting my targets?
Carry the behaviours throughout the year (step 6)
This one is kind of new to me. I hope you like it, and see why I’m so enthusiastic about it.
You may have done the exercise where you post a letter to your future self.
This is the digital equivalent.
But, rather than writing an aspirational target and sending it, instead, I am sending myself regular reminders of both my behavioural intentions and specific actions that fall later in the year.
Think of it as a prompt rather than a reflection.
And it’s really simple to do. I’m emailing myself, with delayed send.
Wish me luck!
And yes, I’ll update this post if I don’t do that, or the initial momentum steps. But now I’ve committed to this, I have no choice ;-)
EDIT - as of 9 January, I’ve done my initial steps, I’ve lived to all behaviours other than takeaways (avoiding cooking is self care after all, right?), I’ve actually booked a holiday which my work phone and laptop won’t be joining me on. I’m still to produce my Vision Board - maybe one for this weekend so that I’ve started everything before this post hits your inbox on Tuesday!
Carl Reader is a WH Smith Bestselling Author and international keynote speaker with a real passion for helping people do better. There are two ways to learn more about Carl! You can either follow him on Social Media if you’re just curious (@carlreader on most platforms), or if you’d like to learn a little more about what he does on stage, through content and in the media from a commercial perspective, you can visit his website at www.carlreader.com
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